Railway traffic controlling apparatus



May 15, 1945. H. 1.. BLACK' RAILWAY TRAFFIC CONTROLLING APPARATUS FiledDec. 11, 19 45 R w Y E M m Wan m H H Patented May 15, 1945 RAILWAYTRAFFIC QONTIUOHJNG APPARAIUS' B r y L- B k@ Meneto New BEfiK WiQ a-Qm'karia. ass gn r. to Th Union Swi h and, Signal C mpany. Swissvale. Pa...a corporation of:

Pennsylvania.

Application'Dccemher 11, 1943; SerialNo. 513,931

2 Claims. (.Ql.,246.-.-428.),

My invention relates to railway trafiic controlling apparatus, andparticularly to apparatusfor controlling railway switches.

With the conventional type of railway switch in which the switch pointsnormally stand'inone extreme position or the other, it sometimes happenduring heavy snow storms that snow becomes packed between the openswitch point and the adjacent stock rail to such an extent that theswitch cannot be reversed until someone is sent to the switch locationtoremove thepacked snow. This is undesirable particularly where theswitch is located at an outlying location, and he quently results intrain delays.

One object of my invention is to provide a switch in which failure ofthe-switch due to snow packing between the movable switch points and theadjacent stock rails is prevented,

Another object of my invention is to provide a railway switch in whichboth movable switch -points normally are closed against the adjacentstock rails and one movable switch point or the other is moved away fromthe stock rail to the open position to line up the desired traffic.route.

Another object of my invention is to provide a railway switch in whichboth movable switch points are normally biased to-their closed positionswhereby the switch can be trailed from either the branch or main track.

Another object of my invention is to provide means to enable a switch inwhich both movable switch points are biased to their closed positionsand one point or the other is moved to its open position to line up atrafiic route to be operated by a standard switch and lock movement, andstill provide the usual locking and point detection features commonlyprovided in conventional switches.

According to my invention, the movable switch points are individuallyconnected through separate lost motion connections to an operating rodwhich latter, in turn, is connected to a conven-.- tional switch andlock movement provided with a circuit controller of the type used whenthe switch and lock movement is to operate a movable point frog.Theswitch and lock movement normally stands in its mid stroke position,and the movable switch points are both held closed under theseconditions by a spring rod which biases them to their closed positions,the necessary movement of the points to their closed positions beingpermitted by the lost motion connections between the movable points andthe operating rod. When it is desired to line up a traflic route overthe switch, the switch movement is energized by means of appropriatecontrol circuitsto operate it to one extremeposition or the other. Theoperation of the switch movement to an extreme' position causes theoperating rod to open the one point or the other, asthe case may be,against the biasing force of the spring rod, and positively hold thepoint which is not moved in its closed position. The locking plunger ofthe switch and lock movement when the switch and lock movement isoperated to either extreme position cooperates with the usual lock rodsto lock the points against'movement, and the usual point detectormechanism provides an indicationof the position of the switch points.

Other objects and characteristic features of my invention will becomeapparent as the description proceeds.

I'shall" describe one formof railwaywitch opcrating apparatus embodyingmy invention, and shall" then point out the novel features thereof inclaims.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. l is a top plan view, partly incrosssecticn, showinga railway switch A provided with one form of switchoperating mechanism embodying my invention. Fig; l is a top-plan View,partly diagrammatic and partly ,in section, showing on an enlarged scalecertain of the parts of the switch and lock'movement illustrated inFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the lines I-II'- III of;Fig. l.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in all three views.

Referring first to.Fig. l, the reference character A designates arailway switch comprising, as usual, two fixed or stock rails I and laand two movable rails or switch points 2 and 2a. The fixed rails I andla are laid on tie plates 3 and are secured to crossties 4 in the usualmanner. The movable rails are individually movable, and are both biasedto closed positions in which they engage the associated stock rail bymeans of a spring connecting rod SC.

The spring connecting rod SC may have any suitable form, and as hereshown comprises a tubular casing 5 secured at one end'by means of asupporting rod 6 to the switch point 2, and provided at the other endwith an axial opening 1- which slidably receives another supporting rod8 secured to the other switch point 2a; The supporting rod 8 is guidedat its inner end by a tubular projection 9- formed' on one end of thecasing 5 and is surrounded by: a compressed coil spring Ill, one endofwhich abuts against the one end wall. 511 of the casing 5 and the otherend of which abuts against a circular plate II secured to the supportingrod 8. The spring I is provided with sufficient compression to normallyyieldably hold both switch points in closed positions against theadjacent stock rails.

The switch points are arranged to be individually moved from thenormally closed position to an open position to line up a trailic routeover the switch by means of a switch and lock movement SM, the throw barl2 of which is connected with the switch point 2 through the medium ofthe operating rod l3, a switch basket I4, and a throw rod I5, and withthe switch point 2a through the medium of the operating rod [3, a switchbasket l6 and a throw rod I1. The throw rod I is secured adjacent oneend to the switch point 2 and is slidably supported at the other endunderneath the stock rail Ia by a bracket l8 secured to the rail I a.The throw rod I! is similarly secured at one end to the switch point 2aand is slidably supported at the opposite end by a :bracket l9 securedto the rail I.

The switch and lock movement may be of any of the usual types, but ashere shown it is of the type described and claimed in Letters Patent ofthe United States No. 1,293,290, granted to William Zabel On February 4,1919, for Railway traffic controlling apparatus. Inasmuch as the switchand lock movement is similar to that shown in the said Zabel patent itis believed that for purposes of the present invention it is sufficientto point out that this switch and lock movement includes a mainoperating shaft 20, the lower end of which terminates in a crank 24.This crank extends in opposite directions from the shaft, and isprovided on its lower side with adepending crank pin 22 carryin a roller23, and on its upper side with rounded upstanding projections 24 and 25disposed on opposite sides of the shaft 26. The roller 23 cooperateswith a cam slot |2a formed in the throw bar l2, while the projections 24and 25 cooperate, respectively, with spaced recesses 26 and 21 formed inthe underside of a slide bar l8. The throw bar I2 is slidably mounted inthe bottom of the mechanism casing at one side of the axis of the shaft20, and is operatively connected at one end with one end of theoperating rod 13. The slide bar I8 is slidably mounted in the bottom ofthe mechanism casing in a position in which it crosses the throw bar I2at right angles. and is provided at its left-hand end with a lock boxprovided with vertically ofiset and longitudinally spaced looking dogs29 and 3B. The locking dog 29 cooperates with notches 33a and 34aprovided in the lower edges of a pair of lock bars 33 and 34 slidablymounted in the mechanism casing parallel to the throw bar I 2, while thedog 30 cooperates with other notches 33b and 3419 provided in the upperedges of the lock bars 33 and 34. The lock bars are adjustably attachedto the switch points 2 and 2a, respectively, by means of connecting rods35 and 35a, and are so adjusted that the notches 33a and 34a will alignwith the dog 29 when and only when the switch points 2 and. 2a occupythe positions to permit traffic to move over the main track past theswitch, and that the notches 33b and 341) will align with the dog 30when and only when the switch points occupy the proper positions topermit trafiic to move into or out of the siding or branch track overthe switch.

The shaft 20 is arranged to be operated between its two extremepositions by means of an electric motor M, which is connected with theshaft through suitable reduction gearing designated RG in Fig. 2.

Suflicient lost motion is provided between the operating rod l3 and theswitch baskets l4 and It so that when the throw bar l2 of the switch andlock movement is in its mid stroke position as shown in Fig. 2, theswitch points will each be held in engagement with the associated stockrail by. the spring connecting rod SC, as shown in Fig. 1. When thethrow bar l2 occupies its mid stroke position, the roller 23 engages thecam slot 12:: adjacent its right-hand end within the straight walledportion thereof, and the slide bar I3 is held in its mid stroke positionby engagement of the projections 24 and 25 with the curved flanges whichform continuations of the outer sides of the recesses 26 and 21 in theslide bar. With the slide bar N in its mid stroke posi' tion, thelocking dogs 29 and 30 are disposed on opposite sides of the lock bars33 and 34 as shown in Fig. 3 so that both switch points are unlocked,and since the switch points are unlocked they can be trailed by a. trainapproaching the switch either on the siding or on the main track, thenecessary movement of the points during the trailing being permitted bythe above referred to lost motion connections between the operating rodl3 and the switch baskets M and I6.

When it is desired to set the switch for main line traffic over theswitch, the motor M is energized by virtue of suitable control circuitsin a manner to cause it to rotate the shaft 20 in a counterclockwisedirection to its one extreme position. The control circuits for themotor M form no part of my present invention, and may for example, besimilar to those described and claimed in the copendin application forLetters Patent of the United States, Serial No. 531,212, filed byHerbert L. Bone and Crawford E. Staples, on April 15, 1944, for Railwaytraffic controlling apparatus. In response to the rotation of the shaft20, the roller 23 on the crank 2i engages the upper straight side of thecam slot l2a in the throw bar l2, and imparts an upward movement to thethrow bar as viewed in Fig. 2, which movement is transmitted through theoperating rod l3, switch basket 55 and throw rod I! to the switch point2a to thereby move the switch point 211 to its open position inopposition to the bias of the spring it of the spring connecting rod SC.During the greater part of this rotation of the crank the projections 24and 25 continue to engage the curved flanges which form continuations ofthe outer sides of the recesses 26 and 21 so that longitudinal movementof the slide bar [8 is prevented. However, prior to the completion ofthe rotation of the crank, projection 25 enters the recess 26 and causesit to move to the right to its right-hand extreme position. When thislatter movement takes place, the lower notches 33a and 34a in the lockbars 33 and 34 will be in alignment with the dog 29, and this dog willtherefore enter these notches to lock the switch points in their normalpositions.

When the parts occupy their normal positions as shown in Fig. 2 and itis desired to set the switch for traffic from the main track into thesiding or from the siding onto the main track the motor M is thenenergized over other suitable control circuits in the direction to causethe shaft It] to rotate in a clockwise direction to its other extremeposition. These other circuits may also be similar to those described inthe aforementioned Bone and Staples application. The operation of theparts under these' conditions is similar to that just described exceptfor the fact that the direction of motion of the parts is reversed, andit is thought that this operation will be apparent from the foregoingand from an inspection of the drawing without further description. Itshould be noted, however, that when the shaft 20 reaches its otherextreme position, the switch point 2 will be moved away from the stockrail I to its open position and will be locked in this position byvirtue of the locking dog 30 entering the notches 33b and 34b in thetops of the lock bars 33 and 34.

It should be particularly pointed out that when either the switch point2 or the switch point 2a is moved to its open position, the operatingrod I3 acts through the switch basket M or 16, as the case may be, toforce the other switch point to, and hold it in, its closed position.

The switch and lock movement includes a circuit controller operated inaccordance with the provided arailway switch in which both switch pointsare normally closed, together with suitable operating apparatus ioropening one switch point or the other to line up a traflic route overthe switch. It will also be seen that when a route is lined up, the samesafeguards are provided as are provided in connection with the operationof conventional switches.

Although I have herein shown and described only one form of railwayswitch operating apparatus embodying my invention, it is understood thatvarious changesand modifications may be made therein within the scope ofthe appended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of myinvention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In combination, a railway switch having independently movable switchpoints biased to normally closed positions, a switch and lock movementarranged for operation between an intermediate and two extreme positionsand connected with said points in such manner that they are free to moveto their normally closed positions or one point or the other will bemoved to its open position according as said movement is operated to itsintermediate position, its one extreme position, or its other extremeposition, two lock bars one secured to each switch point, and means insaid switch and lock movement cooperating with said lock bars andefiective in the extreme positions of said switch and lock movement forlocking the closed point against movement.

2. In combination, a railway switch having independently movable switchp'oints biased to normally closed positions, and a switch and lockmovement arranged for operation between an intermediate and two extremepositions and connected with said points in such manner that they arefree to move to their normally closed positions or one point or theother will be moved to its open position according as said movement isoperated to its intermediate position, its one extreme position, or itsother extreme position, said switch and lock movement being effective inits extreme positions to lock both switch points against movement intheir corresponding positions.

HARRY L. BLACK.

